"We have been fortunate enough to have worked over the past nine months with Francis Moran and Associates to deliver virtual CMO services for our company, and so far it has been highly effective. With this relationship, we get access to a level of experience and expertise which would be unaffordable to us if we were to hire a full-time equivalent." Dave McIlhagga, Founder and CEO

"When I hired Francis Moran to lead our marketing efforts in 2011, I had very high expectations. We needed to completely rebuild our marketing from the ground up. Francis and his team not only met those high expectations but exceeded them. He brought a very high level of strategic thinking, professionalism and creativity to our organization that will be felt for many years to come in our quest to build a successful IT company."
Marty Hilsenteger, Founder and CEO

We Bring Technology to Market.

Still basking in the glory of Scotland’s magnificent victory over France in Paris last week, I found it impossible to begin this post without talking about it. After reflecting on the result, I realised it’s actually more relevant to this blog than I first thought.

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Working in the technology realm as we do, it is inevitable that we encounter many, many acronyms in our daily work. A quick scan of the blogosphere reveals that it’s a hot topic amongst technology marketers like Chris Hoskin and analysts alike.

There are so many acronyms in play and unfortunately a lot of them overlap. When you see CMS, do you think it means content management system, or contact management system, or code management system, or client music synthesis, or…

I’m firmly of the belief that the names of companies and products have little bearing on their ultimate success or failure, but it’s still interesting to observe some of the curious names selected by companies that are intending to crack Western markets.

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So my first impressions from ECOC yesterday were slightly tempered after spending today walking the floor and talking to the exhibitors.

The “sold out” line I used yesterday was addressed by more than a few people I spoke to, and has apparently been a bit contrived by limiting the space available to exhibitors. And when I said it seemed “busy,” several exhibitors told me they felt that booth traffic has been pretty quiet so far.

Nonetheless, the quality of traffic was something that was universally praised. Lots of good meetings seem to have been held, and some encouraging prospects had emerged for a lot of the U.K. and Canadian companies I spoke to.

An industry insider told me it was encouraging to see some spending in the telecoms sector again, especially in Europe where a number of build-outs are planned. The access market was pinpointed as the area with the best prospects in the current climate.

As a veteran of the Scottish optoelectronics sector told me, “The market is recovering, but slowly.” And long may it continue.

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The title of this post is a simple fact, one I heard a lot growing up. On regular basis, my mother wins everything from concert tickets to movie memorabilia to hotel accommodations and more. Some might call her lucky but I know better. She’s merely an optimist with a decent strategy. Unlike most people, she doesn’t waste time thinking about grim statistics like a one-in-a-million chance of winning. She’s always been quick to remind me that people who go through life thinking they can’t win, don’t win.

I’m sure more than a few of the TechCrunch40 finalists would agree. Without a doubt, many of them probably thought it would be nearly impossible to impress the likes of Jason Calacanis, Michael Arrington and all the well-known venture capitalists and journalists planning to attend the big event. Regardless, they submitted their new product ideas and prepared themselves for the rigorous approvals process.

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First impressions at ECOC

By Danny Sullivan Arriving late in Berlin, I only had an hour or so to walk the exhibition floor on the opening day of the European Conference on Optical Communication. Looks like a busy show this year… the exhibition is sold out, and it’s easy to see where a lot of new exhibitors are coming [...]

Not another bloody PR agency blog!

By Francis Moran Blame it all on Alec Saunders. By that I mean, Saunders is in good part responsible for our inflicting on the world yet another PR agency blog. Over the past year or so, I’ve had several engaged conversations with Saunders, a tech company veteran and compulsive blogger, about the role this no-longer-new [...]

It’s Summertime…and the Networking is Easy? | THE MERRAINE BRAIN : [...] In fact, summer is perhaps one of the times least used to network, yet at the same time has shown to be the most productive time to network. People tend to be in a brighter mood compared to during the gloomy winters-especially where I am from in England! Networking needs to be fun and not approached as another chore, like mowing the lawn. (http://francis-moran.com/marketing-strategy/social-media-strategy-why-meeting-in-the-real-world-matt...) [...]